Qinghai affected by Gansu earthquake, mobilizes multiple personnel

A person injured in an earthquake receives treatment at a hospital in Minhe Hui and Tu autonomous county of Haidong city, Northwest China's Qinghai province, Dec 19, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Three cities and prefectures in Qinghai province were affected by the 6.2-magnitude earthquake in neighboring Gansu province, with the closest village to the epicenter only 12 kilometers away, local authorities said.

The earthquake was strongly felt in six districts or counties in Haidong city of Qinghai. The provincial capital Xining city and Gonghe county of Hainan prefecture also reported feeling the earthquake, according to Wang Haigong, deputy director of Qinghai Earthquake Agency, at a news conference on 3:50 am on Tuesday.

Nine aftershocks with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher were recorded as of 2:30 am on Tuesday — seven earthquakes in the range of 3.0 to 3.9 magnitude and two from 4.0 to 4.9 magnitude, he said.

The epicenter is 5 kilometers away from the provincial border of Qinghai. The nearest village is Daowei village in Xunhua county, which is about 12 km away. A total of 22 villages and towns were in the 50-km radius of the epicenter, according to Wang.

The earthquake bureau in Haidong city, which was hit the most in the province, sent staff to the affected areas to assess the situation. An emergency meeting was held to analyze the earthquake.

Eleven people have died and 140 have been injured in Haidong as of 6 am on Tuesday, China Central Television reported.

Qinghai activated a level-IV disaster relief emergency response on 2:10 am, asking all efforts to be made in searching for trapped people, personnel rescue, hazard investigation and assistance to affected people.

More than 800 personnel and over 70 vehicles from the emergency response, transportation, power, communication, health and other departments have been mobilized. Additionally, 30 provincial-level emergency rescue teams are on standby 24 hours a day, Qinghai Daily reported.